WASHINGTON, D.C. — Workers at Middle Seat Consulting, a digital agency that specializes in fundraising, advertising, and media for progressives, announced unionization Wednesday. Workers won voluntary recognition and are set to sit down at the bargaining table to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement. The unionization marks the first political consulting firm to unionize with the Guild, and the eleventh total for the Guild in the past few weeks.

“Campaign workers often work for a few cycles, take a break from campaign work and take up a more permanent job for a while, go work another cycle for a candidate who really inspires them, and ultimately decide to settle into a more stable field,” said Meg Reilly, Vice President of the Campaign Workers Guild. “Political consulting firms like Middle Seat are often where campaign workers end up between or after electoral cycles, so it’s natural that Middle Seat workers fought for and won the same recognition their colleagues across the country have.”

“As progressives, we all got started in politics because of our desire to build a society that works for everyone. But it’s hard to actually call ourselves ‘progressive’ if we don’t practice the same values that we preach,” said Aidan King, Senior Digital Strategist for Middle Seat. “We’re not alone — nor should we be. This movement is growing. And we can’t wait to see workers from every corner of the progressive world get organized and demand a seat at the table, too.”

"We believe deeply in the power of unions to make the workplace more fair, and the vital role they play in taking on inequality in the economy. The trend lines could not be more clear: when workers unionize, the middle class grows and everyone prospers; when unions are weakened, that’s when wealth is concentrated in the hands of a very few, " said Hector Sigala and Kenneth Pennington, founders and partners of Middle Seat. “It’s important for every progressive candidate and organization to practice what they preach, which is why Middle Seat is so proud to see our own team live our values by collectively bargaining for wages, hours, and working conditions. We’re excited to see the Campaign Workers Guild continue to build power, and look forward to negotiations in the coming weeks."

The Campaign Workers Guild is a new independent national union representing non-management workers on electoral and issue-based campaigns.